The Salem Society: Return of the Black Witch
by Josh Sheats
Summary: Henry returns to the magical school of Ilvermorny for his fifth year. While he expects this year to be as boring and uneventful as the past, little does he know that things are about to change as a black witch is on the rise and she's hungry for revenge. But nothing ever happens at Ilvermorny, right?
1. Chapter One

The Salem Society: Return of the Black Witch

Chapter One

"Henry!" Charlie shouted, banging on her older brother's bedroom door. "Henry, wake up!" Henry's eyes slowly opened to his younger sister's call. "It's time to get up! We have to be at the train station in two hours. Mom's got breakfast ready."  
Henry laid in bed, staring at the ceiling as the peak of sunrise shined through his bedroom window. The beige, lace curtains did their best to conceal the light of day from his eyes. He was dreading starting his fifth year at Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Sometimes he wished that he was an ordinary teenager, going to an ordinary teenage high school so he wouldn't have to leave his parents, and his no-maj girlfriend, Sarah.  
Henry tugged on his homemade quilt, pulling it over his head as he rolled over back into his bed. He closed his eyes despite now facing the morning sun. He did his best to ignore his sister's wake up call. He started dreaming about his life, if only he were an ordinary boy. He was just about to drift back off to sleep when Charlie suddenly bursted through his bedroom door.  
"Henry Levi Good!" Charlie exclaimed from the doorway. "Don't ignore me! I know you can hear me." Henry gripped onto his quilt as Charlie stomped over to his bedside. She grabbed his quilt and yanked it across his bed. Henry groaned in annoyance. "For the last time, get up or we'll be late!" Henry rolled onto his back as Charlie walked over to his dresser, and started pulling out clothes. She aggressively tossed him a t-shirt and jeans on to his seemingly lifeless body. "Get dressed! I'm not going to be late because you want to lay in bed and sulk." Charlie stormed out of his bedroom, leaving him motionless, staring at the ceiling once more. His clothes laying on top of him where they were tossed.  
He sat up, slouching, as his clothes rolled into his lap. He stared at them for a couple seconds, and then grabbed his shirt and pulled it over his head, sliding his arms through the sleeves, separately. He climbed out of his bed, grabbing his jeans. He stuck his feet in, one by one and pulled them up to his waist over his underwear. As he zipped them up, he looked up and caught a glimpse at himself in the mirror next to his doorway.  
He noticed his sad eyes staring back at him. They looked lifeless and full of sorrow. He shook his head, taking a deep breath. He looked down at his jeans and buttoned the top. He stood up straight, his chest puffed out proudly. He looked back at himself in mirror. This was the Henry he wanted to see, brave and proud. He ran his hands down his torso, straightening out his shirt. He smiled at himself boldly.  
He turned to his nightstand and grabbed his wand. He turned to his trunk sitting at the foot of his dresser. He waved his wand once and the clothes from his dresser piled out into his trunk neatly folded, from his school robes to his everyday wear. His books tumbled from his desk into the trunk. His quill and parchment followed, the trunk shutting and locking behind them. He walked over to his trunk, grabbed the handle, and started wheeling it down to the kitchen.  
When he reached the bottom of the staircase, he set it down, deciding it was too heavy to drag into the kitchen. He walked into the dining room where his mother had set out an assortment of breakfast items. He joined his family at the table, sitting down across from Charlie. Charlie looked up from her plate and glared at him.  
"It's about time you got your sorry ass out of bed," Charlie grumbled.  
"Charlotte!" her mother gasped as she sat down at the table.  
"Sorry, mom," she smiled at her mother, glaring back at Henry. "Butt."  
"Please, it's our last morning together," her mother pointed out. "I don't want it spent arguing with my favorite children." She smiled at Henry, caressing his face.  
"They're are only children," Mr. Good said, a mouthful of food.  
"Victor, where are your manners?" Mrs. Good asked vigorously.  
"What?" Mr. Good asked confused. Mrs. Good shook her head at her husband, as he raised his paper up to his face.  
"It's okay, Mom," Henry said to his mother. "Charlie is right. I've been dreading going back to Ilvermorny, and I just need to get over it."  
"Why are you dreading it, sweetie?" Mrs. Good asked curiously.  
"I don't know, sometimes I just wish I could be a normal teenager," Henry replied fixing his plate.  
"Honey, you are a normal teenager," Mrs. Good smiled.  
"You know what I mean," Henry insisted. "I just wish I didn't have to go away for nine months to some magical school, where nothing ever happens."  
"Do you know how many kids our age wish they were as cool as us?" Charlie growled from across the table.  
"Charlotte," her mother commanded sternly.  
"Mom, he's acting like a spoiled brat!" Charlie exclaimed.  
"I just mean, I wish I didn't have to lie to Sarah about where I was going," Henry confessed. Charlie rolled her eyes as she dropped her fork. Mrs. Good turned to her son, and softly patted his hand.  
"You know, when you turn seventeen, you can seek permission from the Magical Congress to let your girlfriend know the truth," Mrs. Good explained.  
"But then she'll never trust me again," Henry argued. "My life is a pretty huge secret that I'm hiding."  
"I'm sure she will understand when the time comes," Mrs. Good comforted.  
"Goddamnit!" Mr. Good suddenly shouted from behind the morning of The Salem Times.  
"Victor, please!" Mrs. Good shouted at her husband.  
"Janet, this is serious!" Mr. Good exclaimed. "Another congress official has been murdered." Charlie and Henry looked at their father in curiosity. "At this rate, there won't be anybody left to lead the government."  
"Did they say who it was?" Charlie asked.  
"No, they're keeping his identity a secret," Mr. Good replied, his eyes still on the paper. "But I'll tell you one thing; if congress doesn't shape up and take these threats seriously, this nation is in trouble."  
"Threats from who?" Henry asked curiously.  
"Victor," Mrs. Good grumbled. Mr. Good looked at his wife, then at his children, and folded up his paper.  
"Oh, it's not important for you kids to know," Mr. Good lied covering up the truth.  
"If I'm going to be an auror, it's important that I know what's going on," Henry argued.  
"Oh, you don't need to know right now," Mr. Good lied. "Besides, if these murders continue, you'll hear about it anyways."  
"Victor," Mrs. Good groaned.  
"What, Janet?" Mr. Good asked innocently. "You can't keep the kids in the dark forever." At that moment, the door bell rang. Everyone turned to the front door. "Who could that be at this hour?"  
"Jehovah's, probably," Charlie joked as her father got up from the table. Mr. Good reached the front door. He opened it to find Henry's girlfriend, Sarah, standing on the front steps.  
"Good morning, Mr. Good," Sarah greeted. "I just came to say goodbye to Henry. He hasn't left yet, has he?" Henry heard her voice from the dining room, and rushed out of his chair to the foyer.  
"Oh, you just caught him," Mr. Good smiled. "We were just finishing up breakfast." Henry appeared from behind his father.  
"Thanks, Dad," Henry smiled awkwardly. "I can take it from here."  
"Take it away, my boy," Mr. Good chuckled, disappearing back into the house. Henry stepped onto the front steps, closing the front door behind him. He turned to Sarah and chuckled nervously.  
"Sorry about that," Henry apologized to Sarah.  
"It's okay," Sarah laughed equally nervous. "I would've called to say I was coming to see you off, but you don't have a phone."  
"Yeah, sorry about that," Henry said.  
"I don't understand that," Sarah confessed. "Your family is very wealthy, why isn't they can't get you a cell phone?" Henry fidgeted for an answer.  
"It's complicated," Henry replied nervously.  
"What's so complicated about it?" Sarah asked. Henry sighed and looked down at his feet. "You know, it's strange. You're perfectly normal when you come home from school and all through out summer, but then as soon as you get ready to leave again, you act all secretive. What's with that?"  
"It's nothing," Henry lied. "I just hate leaving that's all." Sarah crossed her arms across her chest.  
"Is there someone else at this Ilvermorny?" Sarah asked suspiciously.  
"What, of course not!" Henry replied defensively.  
"Then why are you acting so weird?" Sarah asked. "Why can't you give me a straight answer?"  
"Because I just can't, alright?" Henry asked. Sarah dropped her arms and pouted. Henry took ahold of her hands. "Look, one day, I'll be able to tell you, but for reasons I can't explain, I just can't right now. It's too complicated to understand, and too farfetched to believe." Sarah looked up at him. "Just know, that I love you, and when the time is right, I'll be able to explain all of this craziness." Sarah pursed her lips. "I hope you can understand. It's not you, it's my crazy life." Sarah let out a soft smile.  
"You promise you'll write me those cheesy love letters?" Sarah asked giggling.  
"Of course," Henry smiled in relief. "Every week, like I always do." Sarah leaned in and ran her fingers through his light blonde hair.  
"I trust you," she said to him softly.  
"Thank you," he smiled. They leaned in and gave each other a quick kiss, and paused for moment embraced.  
"Stay out of trouble," Sarah chuckled pulling away, still holding Henry's hand.  
"Please, nothing ever happens at Ilvermorny," Henry laughed. Sarah kissed him on the cheek and headed down the path. Henry smiled and watched as she got in her car and drove away. Charlie opened the front door, and pushed by Henry.  
"Let's go, goober," Charlie called walking to the car. "We got to beat Boston traffic if we're going to make to the train station on time." Henry smiled and shook his head at his sister.  
Suddenly, a rush of positivity fell over him. Slightly, he was still dreading going back to Ilvermorny, but his reassurance in his relationship with his girlfriend had given him new found courage to carry on. He looked up at the morning sun, now shining high above the sky. Hope glistened from it's rays, dancing across the Salem sky. After all, nothing ever happens at Ilvermorny, right?


	2. Chapter Two

The Salem Society: Return of the Black Witch

Chapter Two

South Station was bustling. Cars from the street honked at pedestrians. Multiple conversations were going on by people passing by, the sounds of the soles of their shoes hitting the pavement. The sun shown brightly above the station, casting shadows on the city below. Mr. Good helped his children fetch their trunks from the car as they walked into the station.  
They headed toward the Amtrak line, towing their luggage behind them. Mrs. Good was reading off a list of all the things that her children would need, double checking to make sure her children hadn't forgotten anything important. As they passed through the crowd, people stared at their odd twentieth century luggage. It was as if the crowd of no-majs had just seen a living fossil with their very own eyes. Slight embarrassment fell over Henry, but his positivity from earlier that morning still shown brightly through his heart. He proudly walked through the crowd, unbothered by the look of confusion on the no-maj's faces.  
When they reached the entrance to the Amtrak entrance, all four scoped around the crowd to make sure no passerby would see them. They turned to face a tall brick wall covered in hideous, white paint. Henry took a deep breath as he passed through the wall following behind his family, a secret barrier to the wizarding world.  
On the other side were hundreds of fellow students and their parents seeing them off. The Good family marched through the crowd, looking for the perfect spot to see their children off. As they made their way through the crowd, the sounds of children laughing, mothers crying, animals calling, caressed Henry's ears. He looked around to see first years sobbing as this would be their first time leaving their parents for an extended period of time and he reminisced on his first year.  
Henry had been particularly brave that year, but that was due in part to his excitement to be going off to a school to learn the wondrous jewels of the magical world. Little did he know back then that his wanderlust would soon corrode over the next few years as he found his life at Ilvermorny to be far too routine. Boredom with the school would soon set in and he would soon find himself wishing that he had a love for the magical world like it little sister, Charlie.  
All summer, Charlie did nothing but talk about her excitement for starting her fourth year at Ilvermorny. All of the classes she would be taking; Advanced Potions, fifth year Defense Against the Dark Arts. Sometimes Henry wondered how she was put in the Thunderbird house instead of the Horned Serpent, but Charlie did always talk about traveling the magical world. She always had this thirst for adventure, even as a child.  
The Good family stopped at an empty space halfway down the train. Mr. Good handed the conductor his children's luggage as Mrs. Good sobbed and embraced her children simultaneously. Both Henry and Charlie groaned in embarrassment.  
"Oh, don't give me that," Mrs. Good sobbed. "You have no idea what a moment like this means to a mother."  
"And apparently, you're so old that you've forgotten what this moment means to us teens," Charlie snapped back sarcastically. Mrs. Good let go, wiping her eyes. She kissed both of her children's foreheads as Mr. Good rejoined them.  
"Oh, I'm going to miss you both so much," Mrs. Good sobbed.  
"Oh, for God's sake, Janet," Mr. Good groaned. "They'll be back in nine months and it's not like they don't have enough parchment to write a thousand letters."  
"Which means you both better write or you're grounded next summer," Mrs. Good said sternly.  
"Charlie! Henry!" called a girl from behind them. Henry and Charlie turned around to see Charlie's best friend, Hayley, and her older brother, Evan, tagging along behind her.  
"Hayley!" Charlie exclaimed embracing Hayley.  
"I'm so glad I found you guys," Hayley said pulling away.  
"Same here," Charlie smiled. "How was the flight from Iowa?"  
"Bumpy," Evan chimed in.  
"We were just getting ready to board the train when I heard your mother sobbing," Hayley giggled. Charlie turned to glare at her mother, who was still sobbing uncontrollably, which now was just comical. "We can all sit together now."  
"Thank goodness," Charlie said grabbing Hayley's hand. "I need to get away from this sad sack." Charlie turned to her mother and spoke in a hurry. "Okay, Mom, we're leaving. See you in June!" Charlie flew onto the train, dragging Hayley behind her. Evan followed with pep in his step. Henry was about to step onto the train when he felt his mother tug on his shirt. He turned back to her as she rested her hands on his shoulders.  
"I just want you to remember, that no matter how special you may be, don't let anyone steal that spark in your eyes," Mrs. Good smiled. "You are a prodigy. You are brilliant. I will see you when you get home." She hugged her son for the last time and he turned and stepped onto the train as it started to take off. Charlie and Henry waved to their parents and disappeared into the train car.  
Finding a seat was terrible. Because they boarded the train so late, the majority of the seats were taken. Everywhere they turned, seats were taken up by students, all laughing and eager to begin their school year. Some were playing hand games, others were jinxing each other playfully. By the time they reached the end of the train, only one booth was available and a boy with dark blonde hair sat there reading a book on defensive spells. Charlie turned to her friends.  
"Come on, this is the only booth that's open," Charlie said turning to the boy. "Um, excuse me?" The boy looked up from his book and smiled at Charlie. "Would it be okay if we joined you?"  
"Oh, sure, go right ahead," the boy smiled.  
"Thanks," Charlie said. The four of them settled into the seats, Charlie and Hayley sitting down across from the boy, Evan sitting next to Hayley. Henry sat down next to the boy. Hayley leaned forward to the boy to introduce herself.  
"I'm Hayley Osborne," Hayley smiled extending her hand. The boy took it and shook it. "This is my brother, Evan, my best friend, Charlie, and her brother, Henry." The boy waved at each of them.  
"I'm Stuart Wilson," the boy smiled.  
"Nice to meet you," Hayley said. "What year are you?"  
"Fourth year, Wampus," Stuart replied.  
"What a coincidence," Hayley exclaimed. "Henry here is a Wampus, but he's a fifth year." Henry smiled at Stuart. Stuart nodded, turning back to Hayley.  
"I take it you guys aren't in Wampus," Stuart concluded.  
"Oh, no, Horned Serpent here," Hayley smiled.  
"A scholar, I like that," Stuart grinned.  
"You can't get her nose out of a book half the time," Charlie sneered. "Speaking of which, what are you reading? I don't think that book is on the curriculum."  
"It's not," Stuart replied looking at the book. "I figured with everything going on, it's best to be prepared for an uprising."  
"Uprising?" Evan asked confused.  
"You don't know?" Stuart asked curiously. Blank stares came from each of the four. "Word has it that this black witch is planning to seek revenge on the Magical Congress," Stuart explained.  
"Black witch?" Charlie asked.  
"Tituba," Stuart replied quietly. "She's suppose to be seeking revenge for how the Congress dealt with the witch trials."  
"But that would make her like four hundred years old," Henry pointed out. "How would that be possible?"  
"Rumor has it she's been hiding out in the plains drinking an age defying potion," Stuart explained. "I can't believe you guys haven't heard about this. It's all over The Salem Times." Stuart pulled out a copy from his pocket and unfolded it for everyone to see. "They're linking the string of murders to her and her disciples."  
"Our mother likes to keep us in the dark," Charlie groaned reading the paper.  
"And they're certain this is Tituba's doing?" Henry asked.  
"Well, it's all speculation at this point," Stuart confessed. "But no one knows what happened to her after the trials and the fact the murders have all been Congress officials leads many to believe it's either her or witches and wizards who believe in seeking revenge in her name."  
"Talk about holding a grudge," Evan chuckled. Henry looked hard at the paper.  
"I wouldn't believe everything you read," Charlie suggested. "Every since the Second Wizarding War ended, witches and wizards all over the world are paranoid that something else bad is going to happen. They need to get their heads out of the clouds. It's too farfetched to believe."  
"Well, like I said, it's all speculation at this point," Stuart reiterated. "But, you have to admit, with all these Congress officials turning up dead, something terrible is definitely on the horizon."  
"Would you mind if I borrowed this?" Henry interrupted, pointing to the newspaper.  
"Take it," Stuart replied, handing Henry the newspaper. "It's just going to sit at the bottom of my trunk all year anyways." Henry took the paper and started reading the article on Tituba's supposed return.

Ilvermorny sat on the top of Mount Greylock, the highest peak in Massachusetts. Rolling hills full of green grass, tinted with rows upon row of trees. The forest gave the landscape scenery and with autumn approaching, the mountain would soon be covered in nothing but orange and gold, as far as the eye could see.  
Night was on the horizon by the time the train had reached the station. Students began to file off of the train, setting foot onto the gray cobblestone. The sounds of footsteps and voices filled the crisp air surrounding the station as steam exited the train, the hissing from the halt. Henry stepped off the train and stepped aside as Charlie, Hayley, and Evan followed behind. Henry looked around for Stuart, who he had expected would follow behind the others, but her never appeared from the train car.  
"Where did Stuart go?" Henry asked as the others joined him. The other three looked around and then looked back at Henry, just as mystified.  
"Maybe he got a head start to the Main Hall," Charlie suggested shrugging it off. Henry looked back at the train with slight disappointed as the other three moved onward. They stopped and turned back to Henry. "Henry! You coming?" Henry turned back to his friends and hustled to catch up to them.  
When they finally reached the castle, they passed through the Entrance Hall where the first years would soon be sorted into their houses. Henry looked up at the four large wooden carvings of the house crests. He remembered standing on the Gordian knot and the carving of the Wampus house choosing him. His friends met a different fate. While the other three had been selected by the Wampus carving, the Thunderbird carving had also chosen Charlie, the Horned Serpent chose Hayley, and the Pukwudgie chose Evan. Ultimately, all three declined from from Wampus and chose their respective houses.  
"We'll meet you in the Main Hall," Charlie said to Henry, breaking his trance.  
"What?" Henry asked confused.  
"We're going to our dormitories to change into our robes," Charlie replied. "You should do the same."  
"Oh, right," Henry said still coming out of his trance. "Yeah, I'll meet you guys there." Charlie smiled and then parted ways with her brother. Henry turned back to the Wampus carving, admiring it in it's glory.  
When he reached the door to the Wampus dormitory, he reached hand out and set it on the cold, brass doorknob, allowing the door to read his palm to verify that he was indeed part of the Wampus house. Henry let go of the knob as the door opened voluntarily. Henry stepped inside to the common room. Blue and cranberry colored the room with hints of gold. Cloth embroidered with the crest of Wampus hung from every wall. Cranberry arm chairs and love seats sat around the two fire places. Mahogany tables sat in the back of the room below a gold painting of the Wampus crest on the brick wall.  
Henry climbed the stairs to the bedrooms. He passed down the hall, that chattering of moving paintings following him. The hallway was dimly lit by the light of burning torches. Henry reached his bedroom, second on his left from the end of the hall. He opened the door to find not only his trunk sitting at the foot of his bed, but also Stuart unpacking his belongings on the bed next to his.  
"Stuart?" Henry asked in disbelief. Stuart turned to him and smiled.  
"Hey, roomie," Stuart greeted sweetly.  
"You're here," Henry said stating the obvious.  
"In the flesh," Stuart chuckled. Henry shook his head.  
"I'm sorry," Henry apologized. "You disappeared from the train."  
"What, you thought you would never see me again?" Stuart joked.  
"Forget it," Henry said walking over to his trunk.  
"If this is too awkward for you, I can ask Professor Fontaine to move me to another room," Stuart offered after an awkward pause. Henry stood up from his opened trunk.  
"Why would it be awkward?" Henry asked.  
"Well, I just know some guys wouldn't be comfortable sharing a room with me," Stuart replied.  
"Why would I be uncomfortable?" Henry asked again.  
"Because I'm gay," Stuart confessed. Henry sighed. "See, I knew you were uncomfortable. I'll just asked to be switched with someone else."  
"No, no," Henry said waving his hand. "It's fine. It's not a big deal."  
"Are you sure?" Stuart asked.  
"Totally," Henry smiled. "I'm open minded." Stuart giggled in relief. Henry bent back down to his trunk, searching for his robes. When he found the clothes that he needed he stood up as Stuart was removing his clothes to change into his robes. Henry quickly turned away feeling awkward. "Whoa, dude, what are you doing?" Stuart turned back to Henry putting on his dress shirt.  
"I'm changing into my robes," Stuart responded confused.  
"In front of me?" Henry asked nervously.  
"We're both guys," Stuart replied. "I didn't think it mattered. It's not like I'm flirting with you."  
"Well, I do have a girlfriend," Henry pointed out in the hopes of lulling his own insecurities.  
"That's cool," Stuart responded confused as to what that had to do with anything.  
"Well, I'm just saying, if you ever find yourself crushing on me," Henry stated trailing off.  
"Henry, relax," Stuart said pulling up his pants to button them. "I'm not going to put the moves on you or anything, single or not." Stuart threw on his robes and headed for the door. He turned back to Henry. "You're not my type anyways."  
"What, why not?" Henry asked. Stuart just laughed at him and turned back to the door. "So, you're not going to join me in the Main Hall?" Stuart turned back to him and sighed.  
"I'll see you tonight, Henry," Stuart smiled. Stuart opened the door and left the bedroom. Henry stared at the door, surprisingly disappointed. He had never felt this way before and he was now intrigued by Stuart, but he couldn't figure out why. However, he was determined to find out.


End file.
